Congress has lost its way: BS Hooda takes on his own party leaders for opposing abrogation of Article 370

The Congress is divided on Article 370. Its chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Bhubaneswar Kalita had even resigned from the post over differences with his party on Article 370.

Hooda has joined the league of those Congress leaders who deviated from the party line and backed the Centre on abrogation of Article 370. (IE)

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday slammed the Congress leaders who questioned the central government on the revocation of provisions that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. Hooda said that his party has lost its way and is no longer the Congress it used to be.

“When the government does something right I support them. Many of my colleagues opposed the decision to abrogate Article 370. My party (Congress) has lost its way, it’s not the same Congress it used to be. When it comes to patriotism and self-respect, I will not compromise with anyone,” the Congress leader said while addressing a rally in poll-bound Haryana.

Hooda further said that he supported the scrapping of the controversial article but the current state government will have to explain what it did in the last five years for the people of Haryana. “I support the decision to abrogate Article 370 but I want to tell Haryana government that you will have to give an account of what you did in 5 years. Don’t hide behind this decision. Our brothers from Haryana are deployed as soldiers in Kashmir, that is why I supported it,” he said.

With this, Hooda has joined the league of those Congress leaders who deviated from the party line and backed the Centre on abrogation of Article 370. Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia and Milind Deora had also backed the Centre on the contentious article.

The Congress is divided on Article 370. Its chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Bhubaneswar Kalita had even resigned from the post over differences with his party on Article 370.

The Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, said that it “deplores the unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic manner in which Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated and the State of Jammu and Kashmir was dismembered by misinterpreting the provisions of the Constitution. Every principle of Constitutional law, States’ rights, Parliamentary procedure and democratic governance was violated.”